Eldridge Street Synagogue Glossary

The arches that line the A line of arches arcade in the Eldridge Arcade raised on columns. Street Synagogue are horseshoe arches.

There are many arches An arch spans an inside the main sanctuary Arch opening and is at the Eldridge Street usually rounded. Synagogue, particularly lining the upstairs balcony.

The ark in the Eldridge Street Synagogue is made The cabinet where Ark of walnut wood. Its shape the Torah scrolls (Hebrew: aron) echoes the shape of the are housed. synagogue’s façade.

The exterior columns at The lower part of a the Eldridge Street Base column. Synagogue are made of stone.

The stained glass A regularly in the main sanctuary at repeating division in the Eldridge Street the architecture of Synagogue are arranged in a building. bays.

Eldridge Street Synagogue Architecture Glossary

A special space The cantor’s platform in where the cantor, the main sanctuary is made Cantor’s Platform who chants the of latticed wood. The (Hebrew: amud) prayers during a music stand has a large Jewish service, star of David on it. stands.

The capitals on the The top part of a exterior columns are Capital column. highly decorated and

elaborately carved.

A column consists of three parts: the The Eldridge Street base, shaft and Synagogue has both Column capital (bottom, exterior and interior middle, top) and columns. often supports a or balcony.

The sanctuary’s Victorian chandelier is over 120 An ornate lamp years old and was originally with multiple lit by gas. In 1907, the Chandelier branches that congregation switched to hangs from the electricity and flipped the ceiling. glass sconces upside down to accommodate light bulbs.

Eldridge Street Synagogue Architecture Glossary

The clerestory in the A series of windows Eldridge Street Synagogue Clerestory placed high up on a has circular and keyhole wall. windows. All of them are made of stained glass.

Any horizontal A patterned band of section of horizontal molding, the decorative molding Cornice cornice, adorns the at the top of a topmost corner of the building, arch or façade. wall.

The ceiling above the A curved roof women’s gallery contains structure with a with blue and gold circle-shaped base. star murals painted on them.

A light that hangs The eternal light at the in front of the ark Eldridge Street Synagogue in synagogues Eternal Light is very ornamented, with a around the world. (Hebrew: ner tamid) griffin head at the top and This light remains a crown motif surrounding lit at all times, day the basket below. or night.

Four wooden doors, five finials and one large rose The outside of a Exterior are some of the building. features visible on the synagogue’s exterior.

Eldridge Street Synagogue Architecture Glossary

Much of the facade of the The front or “face” Eldridge Street Synagogue Façade of a building. is decorated with

terracotta ornamentation.

This means “false” The columns and walls in and refers to when the main sanctuary have a Faux an artist makes one faux finish—they look like material look like marble, but are really just something else. painted to look that way.

The organization The fenestration at the and design of Eldridge Street Synagogue Fenestration windows in a is arranged on two main building. levels.

The Eldridge Street Synagogue’s façade has A kind of five finials, which are decoration found at Finial echoed on the walnut ark the top point of a inside the sanctuary. All building. the finial are topped with

stars of David.

An ornamented The exterior frieze at the band that runs Eldridge Street Synagogue Frieze along the outside is ornamented with of a building or top terracotta shapes, stars of a wall. and flowers.

Eldridge Street Synagogue Architecture Glossary

The gallery is where the The gallery is an women would sit during a elevated seating Gallery prayer service at the area, which is also Eldridge Street called a balcony. Synagogue.

An arch that curves in the same There are many horseshoe way that a arches lining the arcade Horseshoe Arch horseshoe does. inside the main sanctuary. This type of arch is

unique to Moorish architecture.

There is a great deal of decoration, including faux The inside of a finishes, murals, and a Interior building. variety of windows, in the Eldridge Street Synagogue interior.

The Eldridge Street A window that is Synagogue has stained circular at the top glass keyhole windows Keyhole Window and rectangular at visible both outside and the bottom. inside the building.

The floors in the vestibule A picture that is are an example of Mosaic made up of small at the Eldridge Street tiles or glass. Synagogue.

Eldridge Street Synagogue Architecture Glossary

A strip of carved The balcony railing offers or curved wood one example of decorative Molding used for molding inside the decoration. synagogue.

The blue domes with gold stars above the gallery are A painting made Mural an example of interior directly onto a wall. mural in the main sanctuary.

The newels at the bottom Wooden posts at of the stairs that lead to the top and/or the main sanctuary have Newel bottom of a flight stars of David carved into of stairs. their surfaces.

There are many oculi (plural) visible inside the Oculus A round window. main sanctuary, particularly in the clerestory.

The terra cotta stars of A detail that is David on the synagogue’s carved, painted or Ornament façade are examples of added to a building exterior ornaments. for decoration.

Eldridge Street Synagogue Architecture Glossary

The base of a column or door frame. The large There are plinths located Plinth piece of stone beneath the columns on below the base of the synagogue’s exterior. the column is the plinth.

The raised The reader’s platform at platform from the Eldridge Street Reader’s Platform which the Torah Synagogue is located in (Hebrew: bimah) scrolls are read the center of the during a Jewish sanctuary and made of prayer service. cherry wood.

A large, circular

stained glass The rose window at the window divided into Eldridge Street Synagogue segments by Rose window has twelve large circles . Primarily and twelve small circles found in buildings with flower motifs. with Gothic

architecture.

A rose-like motif The façade of the often carved into Eldridge Street Synagogue Rosette stone or wood or is ornamented with stone cast as metal. rosettes.

The middle part of The shaft of an exterior a column, between column at the Eldridge Shaft the base and the Street Synagogue has a capital. textured pattern.

Eldridge Street Synagogue Architecture Glossary

A window that is The exterior of the set in the roof or Eldridge Street Synagogue ceiling so that light has a skylight on its roof. comes through.

Small pieces of colored glass, The stained glass windows arranged into an in the Eldridge Street image or design, Synagogue contain only Stained Glass and held together geometric shapes and by lead strips patterns, not figuration. within a frame of tracery.

There are four torcheres A tall stand or surrounding the raised Torchere fixture with lights reader’s platform. on top.

Tracery in the rose window Stonework at the Eldridge Street elements that Tracery Synagogue was particularly support glass in visible prior to the Gothic windows. window’s restoration.

Literally, “to trick The windows on either side the eye.” A of the Ark are trompe realistic painting l’oiel. They look like real Trompe L’oeil that looks like windows, but are actually something it is not. just paint. This is one type of

faux finish.